Wanting a thing: が ほしい
N が ほしいです
Object が ほしいです = I want (an object). For an action: たい. ほしい conjugates like an い-adjective.
In short
ほしい expresses wanting to have something: あたらしい くるまが ほしいです (I want a new car). For an action, you use ～たい (たべたい). ほしい is an い-adjective: ほしくないです, ほしかったです.
- あたらしい パソコンが ほしいです。atarashii pasokon ga hoshii desuI want a new computer.
- なにが ほしいですか。nani ga hoshii desu kaWhat do you want?
- いまは なにも ほしくないです。ima wa nani mo hoshiku nai desuRight now, I don't want anything.
The basics
ほしい is an い-adjective meaning “wanted”. So “I want a car” is said “as for me, a car is wanted”: わたしは 車が ほしいです. The thing you want takes が.
- あたらしい パソコンが ほしいです。atarashii pasokon ga hoshii desuI want a new computer.
- なにが ほしいですか。nani ga hoshii desu kaWhat do you want?
Its forms
Like any い-adjective:
| Form | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ほしいです | I want |
| ほしくないです | I don't want |
| ほしかったです | I wanted |
ほしい or たい?
ほしい is about an object (a noun). たい is about an action (a verb). “I want water”: 水が ほしいです; “I want to drink water”: 水が 飲みたいです.
- 時間が ほしいです。jikan ga hoshii desuI need time. (I'd like some time)
Common mistakes
- Saying 車を ほしいです: ほしい takes が.
- Using ほしい with a verb: “行きほしい” is wrong, it's 行きたい.
- Talking about a third person's wishes with ほしいです: it's only for yourself (or a question to the other person).
5 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N5 point is on the Shinjuku Line (The city) of the Tokyo subway.